- C
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Hello Family and Friends!
We are excited to share some news for you! Nicole and I have decided to dedicate at least our first 6 months of marriage to the Lord and to spend 3 months in Kona, Hawaii in training and 3 months on missions abroad! This has been something that we have been praying into for over a year, and we believe that this is the right time as God has been giving us confirmations left and right!
Acts 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ENDS OF THE EARTH!"
The Spark - Heart for the Nations
Before Nicole and I started dating, we actually met over a meal as Nicole came back from a missions camp and I was actually praying into going on a short-term 1 year missions trip to Africa. We both shared our passions for the nations and really connected on how God was moving not just in Orange County but also, throughout the world. We talked about the missions trips we went on in the past and our heart for God to be made known throughout the nations. Shortly after, I knew that God was giving us a heart for the nations, but ultimately, the struggles of life came along and we both put that heart to the side. Nicole had to finish school and get her teaching credentials, and I started to work. I always knew that there would come a time when we would be called, but we really wanted to dig deep with our community of believers and to spend more time with our loved ones. Looking back on it now, we are so thankful for Holywave/Sarang and our loved ones, who really helped us grow and to be equipped for this special adventure that we're embarking on.
Journey Leading up to Missions
As I was getting more comfortable with my job at ADP and Nicole was getting closer to finishing her teaching credential program, I was in a place of being really content with life. We were talking about marriage, looking at potential places to live (in the amazing OC), and really loving our community at Holywave (praise team, dwelling place and youth group). But as I was praying, God kept saying, "it is time."
And a little background story of why that's so significant. Before I got my job at ADP and was interviewing with the company, I told God, this job is amazing, it's close to home, my potential coworkers/boss were amazing (as I had a peer interview/in-person interview), and the pay is great (glassdoor is the best!). But if You provide me with this job, no matter how comfortable/amazing it is, I will give it up for You.
So back to the journey, and when God said "It is time," I fought with God and had an internal struggle in saying, "I can't.. My life is amazing and I'm really content with where I am." But God kept telling me that "it is time." I told Nicole this and we started praying. Both of us were scared of change and definitely didn't want to get out of our comfort zone. Not only was it tough to let go of my career, but Nicole recently finished her graduate program (teaching) and having to put off fulfilling her calling as teacher for another 6 months made the situation difficult. And having such a heavy saturation of teachers in the OC only made this decision/calling harder to follow-through on. But as we prayed, we really couldn't shake off this conviction.. We knew that we had to go. We were scared and honestly a lot of fear started to overwhelm us. But God gave us a biblical confirmation in Isaiah 41, where God says to the Israelites,
"Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right Hand."
After getting this confirmation from the Lord, we knew that we had to get the blessings of our biological and spiritual family as we believe in a culture of honor. After speaking with them, there wasn't a single person who ultimately said no. We knew this was a major confirmation from God. So... we have decided to spend the first 6 months of our marriage dedicating whole-heartedly to the Lord by spending 3 months in training and 3 months on overseas missions. We're hoping this would be a vision casting trip for us to not only know God's heart and connect with Him but also to serve His people and to discover where He wants to lead us in the future.
How to Support?
1. Prayer - We believe in the power of prayer and the prayers of those who are His children. Please pray for us in that we would really be faithful to God throughout this whole process and know that we are covered by your prayers..
2. Finances - We are laying down our careers (both will be unemployed), so we are in need of financial support of about $20,000 to fund this whole trip.
3. Encouragements - We are scared to death about this, but we also know when God says "Go," you gotta go! But we definitely need a lot of love/encouragement from our loved ones and supporters!! :)
Where will the money I donate go?
We believe in financial accountability and not being reckless with the donations and financial support that we receive. So, we will put a breakdown of where your donations will be going towards. Also, we plan on taking vision casting trips/honeymoon around Asia before and after this Kona trip but will be using our own money to pay for those trips (in case you're wondering if we're dipping into this fund for that).
1. Training at YWAM (DTS) - $4,000 per person = Totaling $8,000 for both of us. This includes housing, 3 meals a day and the training portion.
2. Outreach - $5,000-$6,000 per person = Totaling $10,000-$12,000 for both of us. This includes transportation to and from the Kona to our outreach location, housing, food and additonal expenses.
3. Transportation to and from Los Angeles-Kona. About $600 per person = $1,200 for both of us.
4. Health Insurance - Since both of us will be unemployed and YWAM requires all DTS students/staff to have health insurance. Cost will be $150 per person per month (for the cheapest one). = $1,800 for both of us.
Total cost of the trip = $21,000-$23,000
**Sources: http://www.uofnkona.edu/dts_courses/fire-fragrance/
Bible Verses that God gives about Missions
1. Matthew 28:19-20 - "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
2. Mark 16:15 - He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."
3. Romans 10:13-14 - For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And How can they hear without someone preaching to them?"
We are excited to share some news for you! Nicole and I have decided to dedicate at least our first 6 months of marriage to the Lord and to spend 3 months in Kona, Hawaii in training and 3 months on missions abroad! This has been something that we have been praying into for over a year, and we believe that this is the right time as God has been giving us confirmations left and right!
Acts 1:8 - But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ENDS OF THE EARTH!"
The Spark - Heart for the Nations
Before Nicole and I started dating, we actually met over a meal as Nicole came back from a missions camp and I was actually praying into going on a short-term 1 year missions trip to Africa. We both shared our passions for the nations and really connected on how God was moving not just in Orange County but also, throughout the world. We talked about the missions trips we went on in the past and our heart for God to be made known throughout the nations. Shortly after, I knew that God was giving us a heart for the nations, but ultimately, the struggles of life came along and we both put that heart to the side. Nicole had to finish school and get her teaching credentials, and I started to work. I always knew that there would come a time when we would be called, but we really wanted to dig deep with our community of believers and to spend more time with our loved ones. Looking back on it now, we are so thankful for Holywave/Sarang and our loved ones, who really helped us grow and to be equipped for this special adventure that we're embarking on.
Journey Leading up to Missions
As I was getting more comfortable with my job at ADP and Nicole was getting closer to finishing her teaching credential program, I was in a place of being really content with life. We were talking about marriage, looking at potential places to live (in the amazing OC), and really loving our community at Holywave (praise team, dwelling place and youth group). But as I was praying, God kept saying, "it is time."
And a little background story of why that's so significant. Before I got my job at ADP and was interviewing with the company, I told God, this job is amazing, it's close to home, my potential coworkers/boss were amazing (as I had a peer interview/in-person interview), and the pay is great (glassdoor is the best!). But if You provide me with this job, no matter how comfortable/amazing it is, I will give it up for You.
So back to the journey, and when God said "It is time," I fought with God and had an internal struggle in saying, "I can't.. My life is amazing and I'm really content with where I am." But God kept telling me that "it is time." I told Nicole this and we started praying. Both of us were scared of change and definitely didn't want to get out of our comfort zone. Not only was it tough to let go of my career, but Nicole recently finished her graduate program (teaching) and having to put off fulfilling her calling as teacher for another 6 months made the situation difficult. And having such a heavy saturation of teachers in the OC only made this decision/calling harder to follow-through on. But as we prayed, we really couldn't shake off this conviction.. We knew that we had to go. We were scared and honestly a lot of fear started to overwhelm us. But God gave us a biblical confirmation in Isaiah 41, where God says to the Israelites,
"Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right Hand."
After getting this confirmation from the Lord, we knew that we had to get the blessings of our biological and spiritual family as we believe in a culture of honor. After speaking with them, there wasn't a single person who ultimately said no. We knew this was a major confirmation from God. So... we have decided to spend the first 6 months of our marriage dedicating whole-heartedly to the Lord by spending 3 months in training and 3 months on overseas missions. We're hoping this would be a vision casting trip for us to not only know God's heart and connect with Him but also to serve His people and to discover where He wants to lead us in the future.
How to Support?
1. Prayer - We believe in the power of prayer and the prayers of those who are His children. Please pray for us in that we would really be faithful to God throughout this whole process and know that we are covered by your prayers..
2. Finances - We are laying down our careers (both will be unemployed), so we are in need of financial support of about $20,000 to fund this whole trip.
3. Encouragements - We are scared to death about this, but we also know when God says "Go," you gotta go! But we definitely need a lot of love/encouragement from our loved ones and supporters!! :)
Where will the money I donate go?
We believe in financial accountability and not being reckless with the donations and financial support that we receive. So, we will put a breakdown of where your donations will be going towards. Also, we plan on taking vision casting trips/honeymoon around Asia before and after this Kona trip but will be using our own money to pay for those trips (in case you're wondering if we're dipping into this fund for that).
1. Training at YWAM (DTS) - $4,000 per person = Totaling $8,000 for both of us. This includes housing, 3 meals a day and the training portion.
2. Outreach - $5,000-$6,000 per person = Totaling $10,000-$12,000 for both of us. This includes transportation to and from the Kona to our outreach location, housing, food and additonal expenses.
3. Transportation to and from Los Angeles-Kona. About $600 per person = $1,200 for both of us.
4. Health Insurance - Since both of us will be unemployed and YWAM requires all DTS students/staff to have health insurance. Cost will be $150 per person per month (for the cheapest one). = $1,800 for both of us.
Total cost of the trip = $21,000-$23,000
**Sources: http://www.uofnkona.edu/dts_courses/fire-fragrance/
Bible Verses that God gives about Missions
1. Matthew 28:19-20 - "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
2. Mark 16:15 - He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation."
3. Romans 10:13-14 - For, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And How can they hear without someone preaching to them?"